Over 250,000 Rally Across France Demanding More School Funding

What Happened

Police fired tear gas in Paris and other French cities on Tuesday as more than a quarter of a million people gathered to demand increased funding for schools, government figures show. The Interior Ministry put the total number of demonstrators at 266,000, including 56,000 in Paris. High‑school and university students led the marches, supported by teachers’ unions and parents, to protest overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and rundown school buildings blamed on years of underinvestment. In Paris, small groups clashed with riot officers after a largely peaceful march, prompting officers to fire tear gas and use other riot‑control tools. Nearly 500 protesters were detained across the country.

Reaction

The protests, which began in a Paris‑area high school in mid‑September and spread to Marseille, Strasbourg, Lille and other cities, have put pressure on outgoing President Emmanuel Macron’s administration. Léa Monimart, an adult demonstrator in Lille, said adults must listen to the 17‑year‑old students. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police action was proportionate in most cases but acknowledged some incidents turned into riots. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu urged the government and school leaders to hear the students, condemned “ultra violence” threatening schools, and dismissed allegations of police racism as false. Student groups announced a follow‑up protest for Thursday, Oct 8.

Context

France’s education system has faced chronic underfunding for years, leading to crowded classrooms and staff shortages that fuel periodic student‑led protests.